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Ask HN: Why, you all intellectual people not quitting Facebook?

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Re: Ask HN: Why, you all intellectual people not quitting Facebook?

#11

80%+ of private events I attend are hosted on facebook (nearly 100% of social ones.) Every gig I attend I find out about due to Facebook (easier than reading a print gig-guide.)

Same. There really needs to be a good alternative to manage and discover events in your area, but most will probably fail due to the missing userbase/users' reluctance to switch to a new platform.

Some organizers/venues in my area put you on their guest list and have lower entrance fees for people who are "going" to their Facebook event. The only way I see a switch happening is if they agree to only offer those rewards for users of the new platform. But some of them are already showing dissent and setting up their own mailing lists/group texts, so I still have hope!

Re: Ask HN: Why, you all intellectual people not quitting Facebook?

#12
A few reasons:

1. For me, the damage is already done. Facebook has over a decade of data from me, and even if I were to delete my account the Cambridge Analytica story shows that Facebook has already shared that data. Even if there was a way for Facebook to delete all of my data, they've already lost control. It's like taking the bullets out of a persons gun after they have shot you. You're still wounded.

2. Facebook has largely become the social network where you interact with people you don't really care about. My feed is full of third-party content, and stuff about people I haven't seen in years - people I knew from school, people I don't even like, etc. If I delete Facebook I delete my ability to be nosy, and I think that's why a lot of people won't delete their accounts. Whether you're perving on the guy/girl at school that went from zero to ten, laughing about some asshole from school now has a shitty life and several failed relationships, or how many kids the girl from your English class has popped out since leaving school, Facebook will always be the platform for that.

3. Despite its flaws, it's the closest we've got to a universal social network. I do BJJ a few times a week, and outside of a few people I know that everyone at my gym is on Facebook, so if I want to chat to any of them I can use messenger, or I can add them as a friend.

Most of all, I genuinely don't believe anything bad will happen to Facebook as a result of this. Their higher-ups might get a grilling from ministers/congress, but they will get away with their crimes - and make no mistake, these should be serious crimes. Facebook allowed access to their data under false pretences, and the first news to come from the arrest warrant was that Facebook engineers were on-site right away at Cambridge Analytica. In a just world, Facebook would be fined for every breach of a persons data, to the tune of tens of billions. The fine should be so great that it forces Facebook to scale back their operations and completely restructure their business. In reality, someone might go to jail at Cambridge Analytica, but this practice will continue. If anything, this practice will be promoted as an unethical, but unpunishable tactic across the world.

Re: Ask HN: Why, you all intellectual people not quitting Facebook?

#15
I manage a promotion page and unfortunately this page isn't even close to being popular enough to get people to visit it on other channels.

But to me this whole disaster wasn't such a surprise. If this was a revealing moment for the people who often read this site I could only ascribe it to ignorance and naivety. It has been blatantly obvious that Facebook and all the other big internet companies who serve "free" services have been doing this all along.

On the other side, for some people Facebook and others really are essential just like I couldn't do without Whatsapp since everyone here uses it. To me all of this seems like a failure of the law too, people should be protected from these things. Nobody would physically sign a contract without thinking about it and that's the thing we do online all the time.

Re: Ask HN: Why, you all intellectual people not quitting Facebook?

#16
I have an empty profile that I can't delete since I manage a few business pages. You need an FB personal profile in order to open a business page. That's the only reason why I still have a profile (empty). I removed all pictures, comments, posts, etc. It's literally an empty page.
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